I’d been hearing about shichimi for years before I made it. It’s a seasoning with seven different spices — or ingredients commonly used in Japanese cooking that are spicy, like red pepper flakes and sesame seeds — that is usually sprinkled over noodles. I’d heard it was similar to yakitori tare, gotten from the same guy at the supermarket and put on grilled chicken and eggs.

Tare is great. We have it all the time and use it on everything from tofu to steak, but we hadn’t tried shichimi yet — mainly because we thought we never would. Shichimi seemed hard to make, too complicated.

But then one day Eric went to our local Asian market with an empty bag, pointed at random things in the spice aisle, and came home with the ingredients for shichimi. And he set about making it: he threw all the stuff into a bowl, ground it up into a powder with a suribachi (a traditional Japanese mortar and pestle), then boiled it in water for 10 minutes to let the flavor infuse into the liquid.

The result was way better than yakitori tare: more complex-tasting, with a hotter kick. So we started sprinkling shichimi on everything

It’s an exciting time for noodles. Not only are ramen restaurants popping up in cities all over the country, but grocery stores are beginning to carry fresh Japanese-style ramen noodles. This is great news for lovers of ramen and fans of easy weeknight dinners.

In Japan, shichimi (Japanese seven spice) isn’t used just on noodles: it’s added to tonkatsu (breaded pork cutlets), yakitori (grilled chicken), takoyaki (octopus balls), even sushi. But one of the tastiest ways to enjoy shichimi is with a bowl of ramen.

Why? Shichimi has a unique flavor and aroma that’s hard to describe, but instantly recognizable once you’ve had it. It has a hint of citrus and a touch of heat, but at the same time it’s distinctly savory and earthy. It pairs well with rich, fatty foods like tonkotsu (pork bone broth) and tori-shio (chicken broth).

Shichimi can be found in Asian specialty stores or online, but I think the homemade kind tastes even better!

Shichimi spice is a Japanese spice blend which is very popular in Tokyo. It is available in Asian markets, but if you can’t find it, you can always make your own. There are many variations, but the basic mix usually includes seven different ingredients: red chili pepper, orange peel, black sesame seed, white sesame seed, hemp seed (or poppy seed), green peppercorn and ginger.

Shichimi noodles are pretty much the same as ramen noodles. The exception is that we add a little bit of shichimi to the soup. And we’ve also added some chicken meatballs to the toppings.

You can prepare the broth or ramen separately and then combine them, or you can make everything together in one pot. For this recipe we’ll make everything together in one pot for convenience sake.*

Here’s what you need to get started:

For the Shichimi Spice Mix:

1 tablespoon white sesame seeds

2 tablespoons red chili powder

2 tablespoons orange peel flakes

2 tablespoons black sesame seeds

1 teaspoon poppy seeds (optional)

For Ramen Noodles:*

8 ounces dried ramen noodles*(about 4 servings worth)**

For Toppings:*

2 chicken

The Japanese word “shichimi” translates to seven flavors or seven spices. There is a whole family of shichimi products, including shichimi pepper, shichimi oil and shichimi powder. Shichimi products are made by grinding dried orange peel, hot peppers, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, hemp seeds, white poppy seeds and sansho (Japanese pepper).

So what does Shichimi taste like? Well, chile pepper is the dominant flavor but you can taste citrus as well as a little bit of bitterness from the sansho pepper. Shichimi will add a kick to your food without being overpowering.

There are many recipes for shichimi, but here is my take on it.

I think that the shichimi we have come to know in Japan today started with a recipe from a Chinese cookbook, which was then modified to make it more Japanese-like. It uses seven ingredients: chilli pepper, sansho leaf, black sesame seed, yuzu peel, hemp seed (nori), ginger and shiso leaf. I will explain how I use all of these ingredients in my recipe.

Shichimi is a spice mixture that is used in Japanese cuisine. It has seven ingredients: chili pepper, sansho pepper, black sesame seeds, white sesame seeds, hemp seed, ginger and nori (seaweed). Shichimi means “seven spices” in Japanese. Sometimes the sansho pepper is replaced with ground hiba (Japanese citrus mint leaf), or the chili pepper with ground habanero pepper.

Togarashi shichimi contains ground red chili peppers and is sometimes used as a substitute for “normal” shichimi.

Shichimi is sprinkled over noodles (particularly ramen), tofu and some other dishes such as gyōza and soba and over some kinds of sushi such as salmon roe or ikura (salmon caviar). It may also be put on grilled fish.

It can be found in most grocery stores in Japan, U.S., Canada, etc…

Shichimi is a Japanese spice blend containing seven ingredients: chili pepper, orange peel, black sesame seed, white sesame seed, hemp seed, ginger and nori (seaweed.) The word shichimi comes from the Japanese numbers seven and three.

Togarashi is a spicy chile pepper powder that contains red chili peppers (usually a combination of red and white), sesame seeds, nori (dried seaweed), citrus peel (usually yuzu), and sometimes other spices like sansho pepper, cinnamon or nutmeg. It is used in traditional Japanese cooking to flavor broths and stews, noodle dishes and rice dishes. The word togarashi means “chile pepper” in the local dialect.

Togarashi has become popular in Japan as a spice for Western style cooking due to its unique flavor. It is often mixed with salt or sesame seeds and used as a topping for onigiri (rice balls) or mixed with mayonnaise to make an Okonomiyaki sauce. It also serves as an ingredient in many sauces used on pizza or pasta dishes in Japan.